Franklin Field
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| Location | South 33rd and Spruce Streets Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
|---|---|
| Owner | University of Pennsylvania |
| Operator | University of Pennsylvania |
| Capacity | 30,000 (1895–1922) 50,000 (1922–1925) 78,000 (1925–1958) 60,658 (1958–1970) 60,546 (1970–1989) 52,593 (1989–2002) 52,958 (2003–present) |
| Surface |
Field Grass (1895–1969) AstroTurf (1969–2004) Sprinturf (2004–present) Track Cinders (1895–1987) Rekortan (1988–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1895 |
| Opened | April 20, 1895 |
| Construction cost | $100,000 (1895) ($2.88 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Frank Miles Day & Brother Charles Klauder |
| General contractor | Turner Construction (permanent structure in 1922) |
| Tenants | |
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Penn Quakers (American football and field lacrosse) (NCAA) (1895–present) Army–Navy Game (NCAA) (1899–1935) Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) (1958–1970) Philadelphia Bell (WFL) (1975) Philadelphia Atoms (NASL) (1976) Philadelphia Spinners (MLU) (2012, 2014*) *Used for two out of five games this season. |
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Franklin Field is the home of the Penn Relays, and is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, lacrosse and formerly for soccer, field hockey and baseball. It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation exercises, weather permitting. It is located in Philadelphia, at the eastern edge of Penn's campus, across the Schuylkill River from Center City. It was formerly the home field of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League.
Franklin Field was built for $100,000 and dedicated on April 20, 1895, for the first running of the Penn Relays. Deemed by the NCAA as the oldest stadium still operating for football, it was the site of the nation's first scoreboard in 1895.
The Field supplemented and eventually replaced the venue called University Grounds, which was located a few blocks west on a block bounded by Spruce Street (north), 38th Street (east), Pine Street (south), Woodland Avenue and 37th Street T-intersection (northwest). Its location was typically given as "37th and Spruce".[1]
![[1]](http://www.archives.upenn.edu/img/alum/blkly1894x600.jpg){kind=link}
Permanent Franklin Field construction did not begin until after the turn of the century. Weightman Hall gymnasium, the stadium, and permanent grandstands were designed by architect Frank Miles Day & Brother and were erected from 1903 to 1905 at a cost of $500,000. The field was 714 feet long and 443 feet wide. The site featured a ¼-mile track, a football field, and a baseball diamond. Beneath the stands were indoor tracks and indoor training facilities.
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